Temperature
by UnnamedAgain
Summary: AU: The boys and girls of the various teams are mages in a guild. This is just an episode in their life, during which everyone worries about Kai and Tala's relationship. Beware the gay fluff. TK/KT


This had a plot, at some point. Like four years ago maybe. Since I don't remember where the fic was supposed to go, I probably won't continue it. But I thought I'd post it anyway. Someone might like it.

* * *

Eating breakfast together as a team was not something Kai particularly enjoyed. Truthfully, he would rather be anywhere but at the cramped table in the spacious kitchen of their guild's headquarters (although the kitchen itself was quite nice). His only consolation was that he wasn't the only one unhappy with the situation. Tala pretty much emanated annoyance, what with his twitchy movement, creased brow and a growing sheen of frost on the butter knife he was toying with.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kai noticed Rai watching Tala's hand (the one with the knife) as inconspicuously as he could. He quenched the urge to chuckle. He loved how Tala could be threatening and completely oblivious at the same time.

"Why so quiet, guys?" Tyson said, and the dam broke.

Tala's knife was suddenly halfway embedded in the tabletop. All eyes were on it.

"That should be obvious," Tala said, matter-of-factly. He produced another knife, this one obviously much sharper, from his sleeve, and started twirling it between his fingers.

"Er." And just like that, everyone was now watching Tyson gulp and chuckle nervously. "Call me dumb if you want, but it isn't, not really."

The knife stilled for just a fraction of a second. "Tyson, you were there."

Kai sighed. Bryan was already edging away from Tala, and Tyson's group was huddling close together. Only Rai's team seemed unaffected, besides looking very intense and listening carefully.

"Well, yes, but..." Tyson scratched the back of his head. "It doesn't seem like something to get all tense over."

The majority of the gathered shared a wince.

Tala's knife disappeared. Kai knew exactly where it went' but he doubted anyone else did.

"Tyson." Tala's voice was barely controlled. "Your team-mate was attacked. And, as a result, hospitalized. Are you trying to tell me you are not bothered by it at all?"

"Well, yeah, I am, but – this happens all the time. Seriously, how many times have you ended up in hospital bed like this? Five?"

"Two. And never because of a surprise attack like this. Being singled out, ambushed and beaten into the ground is different from getting an injury or two in a duel."

"Oh, come on!" Tyson brought his palms to the table, hard. Plates clattered. Tala didn't blink. "Aren't you letting your imagination run a little too far here?"

"Actually," Rai said, raising his hand a little as if asking for the right to speak, "I have to agree with Tala on this one. I mean, not on the brood through breakfast and make everyone nervous part, but, what he said? Is pretty much the way I see it, too."

"Really?" Max asked. "Maybe it's just a coincidence. I mean, Daichi can be pretty annoying. Maybe he just angered the wrong guy or something."

"Right. Because just any guy would be capable of doing that to him," Hilary muttered.

"And there was that attempted attack on Maria," Rai put in.

Maria looked up sharply. "You think there's a connection?"

"Same aura," Kai said. Everyone, including Tala, glared at him.

"And you've only thought to tell us about it now?" Tyson spoke for them all.

"No one's asked."

"Argh!" Tyson threw his hands up. "I've had enough of this! I'm gonna go train or something." And with that, he stormed out.

Tala looked at Kai, then up at the ceiling, then back at Kai with a sigh. "Sometimes, I think you might be the worst of them all."

Kai smirked at that

"Tala?"

"Uh-huh?"

"You are wearing Kai's boxers."

Tala turned his head in Rai's direction at that, raising a brow.

They were in the guys' common room. Currently, there were only Rai, Tyson, Max and Lee present, aside from Tala, who was sitting on the sofa with a book in his lap. Tyson and Max had been playing a video game, but now they were watching the staring contest between Rai and Tala. Lee was munching on some cereal.

Rai finally seemed to realize what Tala's raised brow indicated, exactly, because he suddenly blushed.

"I wasn't looking or anything! I just noticed, because I gave him those for Christmas last year. There's only so many options when it comes to finding a present for Kai." The last part was muttered to no one in particular.

Tala looked down at himself, past his T-shirt and the book, then looked back up at Rai. "So I am wearing his boxers."

Rai blinked. "Uh, why?"

"Why not?"

"Because, I don't know, it's not normal, even for close friends? Are you guys dating or something?"

At that, Tala's eyes opened wide in astonishment. "You mean you didn't know?"

"You mean you are?!"

Tala inclined his head in agreement, and turned to look at all the other occupants of the room. What he saw was wide eyes, slack jaws and various states of shock. "You didn't know."

Tyson took a step forward. "You - we... What?"

"Well, you haven't told us." Max seemed the least bothered of them all.

"I... thought it was rather obvious. We do share a room, even though there's plenty of space in the mansion."

"...You do?"

Tala was saved from having to find a reply to that by Kai, who chose that exact moment to enter the room. He took in the shocked expressions of his friend's and Tala's exasperated one, and heaved a sigh.

"What is it this time?"

Tala closed his book. "Tell me, Kai, why are all your friends idiots? Do you befriend people out of pity or something? We will really have to work on that."

"Why are we in this situation again?" Kai asked under his breath. He didn't really have to lower his voice, seeing as Hilary was practically shouting her tirade on honesty and friendship and safe sex out loud.

"One of your idiot friends decided that Hilary had to be informed. Despite the fact that I specifically told them that we were actually actively trying to keep it from her."

Kai rubbed his forehead. "Who do I kill?"

"I think it might have been Tyson, or Chief. Seeing as they practically come as a package, I suggest you get rid of both at once."

Hilary chose this moment to turn on them. "Are you two even listening to me?!"

Now that the attention had been diverted to the pair, all the other occupants of the room stared. Kai felt like dropping his head into his hands. Of course they noticed the close proximity between him and Tala, shoulders and knees touching, now, when they knew what it meant. Kai had no idea how they'd managed to miss it before.

"No, we are not listening," Tala answered Hilary's question. "You should consider the fact that we are still sitting here quietly a great courtesy."

"And there's no knives," Rai piped up.

Tala shrugged. "Threatening a woman is no fun."

Hilary threw her arms up with an all-explaining "ARGH" and stomped out of the room.

"That went well," Kai said with a sigh, and moved to stand.

"Wait! Wait, you two." Tyson, for once, looked very serious. "I think we deserve some explanation."

This time, Kai did drop his head into his hands.

"What exactly would you like to hear?" Tala asked, amused. "Do we tell the tale of how we first met? How we 'fell in love'?" He didn't even have to make quotation marks with his fingers. Everyone heard them in his voice.

"Well, uh," Tyson looked sort of flustered. "I don't know. This... THING... just seems sort of, big. And we are friends. We should, uh, talk about it, or something."

"I don't think I want to talk about it," Max said.

"Me neither." Kai decided that he didn't really have to kill Max. Just Tyson would be enough.

"I do, though." And Rai, apparently, the traitor. "I mean, I know Kai pretty well." Two raised brows from the occupants of the couch, one read and one blue. "And I'm usually quite observant. Seeing as I didn't notice anything, well. Are you guys sure everything is okay between you two?"

Kai just stared. What the hell?

"Rai," Tala sounded grim suddenly. Something silver flashed at the rim of his right sleeve. "Are you offering relationship advice right now? Because if you do, you might want to think it over. Very. Carefully."

"Rai has a point, you know." Tyson sounded thoughtful. Kai felt the sudden urge to bolt. "You are not very, uh, affectionate. Or. Well. You don't even act like friends, most of the time."

"Tyson," Kai said, very, very calmly. "It's none of your business."

"You guys are my friends."

"I'm starting to wonder why. You do realize that you just decided all by yourselves that there is something wrong, when, in reality, there really isn't?"

"What if there is, and you are just not seeing it?"

"Kai." Tala's hand landed on his forearm. All eyes followed the movement.

"Yes?"

"Try not to burn the furniture."

Kai looked at the carpet and table that Tala indicated, and indeed, the edge of the tabletop looked singed, and the carped was smoking in one place.

"My bad."

Tala shrugged, but Kai could tell he lowered the temperature of the areas threatening to burst into flame. Kai could always tell when Tala was using magic, and vice versa.

"See?" Tyson said. "It must've struck a chord. You only burn things when really angry."

Kai felt his irritation level rising, and took a deep breath.

"Leave him alone if you don't want to spontaneously combust." Tala sounded as if he himself wouldn't really mind at all.

"Now you are just avoiding the subject."

"Guys, if you want a free show, the Internet is your only option. You won't be getting one from us." Even as he said that, Tala's hand slid down to Kai's wrist, and squeezed it.

Kai realized he had been dangerously close to actually setting Tyson's hair on fire.

"That's enough for me," Max said, and promptly left the room.

Tyson flushed, grabbed Chief by the arm, and left as well.

Rai looked at Tala's hand, still gripping Kai's wrist. He seemed deep in thought.

"We are also not interested in a threesome." Tala's grin was positively lecherous.

Rai sputterd, turned bright red, and practically fled the room.

Kai shook Tala's hand off with a sigh. "They won't let it go so easily."

"I know." Tala stretched his arms over the back of the couch. "Don't worry though, a few more well-timed comments, and they will not walk into ten metre radius of us."

Kai tipped his head back, leaning into the junction of Tala's elbow. He could tell Tala was smiling, even with his eyes closed. He couldn't quite suppress a half-smile of his own.

"I think we shouldn't interfere. It's none of our business," Chief was saying, trying to match Tyson's step as they walked in the direction of the training grounds.

"It is though! What if they break up? What then? The whole team could suffer!"

"You are being overly dramatic. They know what they are doing. Besides, can you really imagine either of them getting emotional? Especially if it would put the rest of us at risk?"

"But it's not only about that! We are friends! I want them to be happy!"

"Happy? We are talking about Kai and Tala here. They're never happy."

"Exactly! Maybe it's because their relationship is about to fall apart."

"They've been like this ever since we met them!"

"Oh my God, you are right! It must be worse than I thought!" Tyson said, in the tone of one who has just received an epiphany.

"Oh, man..."

"Did I hear something about relationship problems and Kai and Tala in once sentence?" came an ominous voice from a darker part of the hallway.

Tyson paled. Chief slumped in resignation.

"H-Hilary! Fancy meeting you here!" Tyson tried, which was admirable, but useless.

"Now, now, Tyson. Don't be shy. You can tell me everything..."

"I have a bad feeling," Kai said suddenly.

"Huh?" Tala was stretched over their bed, quite immersed in reading a book.

"Like chills running down my spine."

Kai walked over to the bed then fell down upon it unceremoniously, crushing Tala in the process.

"Umpf! Get off!"

"No. Bad feeling, I'm telling you." Kai sneaked his arms under Tala's torso, squeezing him tightly.

"And that compels you to look for comfort in body contact? Very cute. Now get off."

"Fuck you."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it's my turn this time."

"Is that so." It wasn't even a question.

Kai squeezed a little tighter and dropped his nose into the hair at Tala's nape.

Tala closed the book. "I was reading."

"'Was' being the cue word." Kai nuzzled him, and sniffed a little.

Tala smiled. He pushed until they were both lying half on their sides, Kai still pressed close to him. Tala lowered his head to the crook of Kai's elbow and nipped lightly.

"Hmm."

"What?" Tala followed another nip with a slow lick.

"Not in the mood for biting today?"

"Hm, guess not." Tala's hand slid up Kai's leg to the brim of his pants. Just when he was about to slide it in, someone knocked at the door. Loudly.

"Tala! Kai! Come on, we are going!"

Tala smothered a groan in a pillow. He could feel Kai's temperature raise rapidly, so he nuzzled at his forearm.

"Why not let me burn them?" There was a low whine in Kai's voice. Tala reached up to ruffle his hair.

"I'm asking myself that question each day, and I haven't yet figured out the answer. Lets get dressed."

"We are dressed."

"You burned through our pants."

Kai looked down at the place where the front of his pants was touching Tala's butt. "Huh, looks like I did. Will we need to go shopping?"

"Nah, not yet."

They untangled and dressed with little haste, then opened the door to see several annoyed faces, and one very creepily cheerful. They looked at Hilary, then exchanged wary glances.

"Can we help you?" Kai asked, adopting his patented do-not-fuck-with-me pose, which consisted of crossed arms, a raised chin and a raised brow. Tala thought he looked rather dreamy, but unimpressive.

"Yes, actually," Hilary said, undeterred. "We are going to a theme park, and you two are coming with us."

Kai looked at the other people in the hallway dubiously. Tyson looked sheepish, Max clueless, Rai long-suffering, Maria excited, Lee confused and Chief seemed to be surrounded by an aura of lost hope. That didn't tell Kai very much, but it was enough to know he really didn't want to go with them.

"No," Tala said, apparently coming to the same conclusion.

"Yes," said Hilary, stamping her foot for good measure.

Kai looked at the people around them, then met Tala's eyes. Suddenly, a small firework went off right in front of Hilary's shoes, blinding all gathered. When they recovered, the doors to Kai and Tala's room were closed, and frosted over for good measure.

Dinner was an awkward affair. Kai came a little late after getting caught up in his training, and there was no seat left. Which meant that every living soul in the mansion was currently in the room. Kai grabbed a plate, leaned back against a cupboard and started eating.

"Shouldn't you at least say hello?" Hilary asked.

"I never do." Kai located Tala out of the corner of his eye. There was the glint of a knife moving really fast. Brian and Rai, who were sitting on both sides of Tala, were shivering. Ah.

"Maybe you should start. It's a nice custom." Hilary was relentless.

"You want him to... what? Keep greeting us every time he sees us?" Tyson asked.

Kai very much wanted to set his plate on fire.

"Aw, my soup is cold!" Tyson exclaimed a second later, and Kai had to hide a smile behind a bite.

"No, Tyson," Hilary said. "I don't want him to greet everyone."

"Ohh. But it's kinda unfair."

"No, it isn't. Greeting the person who is special to you is..."

All glasses filled with any kind of liquid suddenly erupted. If not for Tyson's quick reflexes and a wind spell, they could be dealing with serious injuries. Tyson gathered the glass in a pile on the table. All the liquid stood frozen in the shape of the glass it was previously in.

"Tala! What the fuck?" Rai growled.

"You asked for it," Kai said.

Tala's head snapped up. "Don't take my side out of obligation."

"I wouldn't call it obligation."

"What, then?"

"A twisted sense of loyalty?"

"Same difference." Tala's eyes were cold.

"You have to admit, though. It was overkill."

Tala sighed. "So it was." He stood up and set his empty plate into the sink, then left the kitchen.

Kai continued eating, ignoring that all eyes were now trained on him.

"Um, Kai, are you sure it's okay?" Maria asked timidly.

"I said it was overkill."

"Not that. I mean Tala. Is it okay not to go after him?"

Kai felt his temperature rising. Which was a pain, because his meat now seemed cold. "What the fuck? He's not some girl that needs to be comforted."

"What's that supposed to mean? Guys have feeling, too!" Hilary was appalled.

"Yeah, which is why you don't want to approach him without a winter coat any time soon."

Kai found Tala sitting on the windowsill in their room later that evening. The window was open, and since it was January, the room was freezing cold. Kai didn't mind. He could just warm the air around himself, like an invisible coat.

"Cooled your head a little?" he asked.

"Yeah. I know I snapped, but they've been at it all through dinner."

Kai lied down on the bed. "This is ridiculous."

"I know."

"The worst part is, I actually start questioning myself. Am I really a bastard to you?"

"You are."

"Shut up, play along. Anyway, I start thinking like that, and then I remember it's you, and this is really idiotic."

"Hmm. Is it really stupid?"

"It is. Isn't it?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it really is." Tala gave a chuckle.

Kai looked at his profile. Tala's hair was damp, hanging in his face and the colour of blood in the dark room. "Come here?"

"Oh? Want to go back to where we were interrupted?" Tala said, walking over. He set one knee on the bed and swung the other over Kai's legs, sitting on his thighs.

Kai slid his hands up Tala's legs and under his shirt, cupping his sides. "You are cold."

Tala shivered. "Yeah. I overdid the cooling my head bit a little." His hands went to work on Kai's belt.

"Don't bother," Kai said. A second later, their clothing went up in flames.

Kai let them burn slowly. Tala was protected by a sheen of ice, but he could still feel the flames licking his skin. He shivered and bent down to nuzzle at Kai's nose with a smile.

"So impatient."

"Nah, I just like doing this." Kai smiled and moved one of his hands into Tala's hair, feeling the texture. "I like how I _can_ do this with you."

"Don't go all romantic on me," Tala murmured, and kissed him.

Even the inside of his mouth was cold. Kai loved the contrast. He knew for a fact that Tala got off on it, too, which made it even better. He pulled Tala closer and deepened the kiss.

Tala pulled back a little and nipped at Kai's jaw. "Don't burn the bed." He continued to Kai's ear, and then all the way down his neck.

Kai arched and moaned deep in his throat. "I won't." His hand moved to Tala's cock with teasing caresses and gentle tugs.

"Mmmm." Tala backtracked up Kai's neck with, licking this time. He found the spot behind Kai's ear he really, really liked and concentrated on that.

"Ah!" Kai squeezed, unintentionally. Tala didn't mind, judging by his moan.

Tala moved one of his hands beside Kai's head for support. The other pushed Kai's leg to the side, caressing the inside of his thigh. He rubbed at the patch of skin between Kai's balls and asshole with his thumb. Kai gasped, and squeezed even harder. He used the hand in Tala's hair to pull him up for a kiss. He bit at Tala's lips, demanding, but gave a careful lick in compensation.

Tala smiled. He batted Kai's hand away from his cock and positioned himself at Kai's asshole. Kai's hand moved to Tala's side. They never stopped kissing.

Tala slid in, slowly, enjoying the heat almost to the point of tears. Kai ended the kiss, throwing his head back with a gasp. His fingernails pierced the skin at Tala's side.

Tala latched onto Kai's neck, nipping and licking happily. "You are so hot," he whispered into the skin under Kai's jaw.

Kai laughed breathlessly. "You say that every time."

"It's the truth. And it's amazing."

"Whatever you say, but it's been years." Kai followed that sentence with a moan and a gasp.

Tala hugged him fiercely. He had a tendency to become very affectionate and possessive during sex. Kai loved to tease him about it afterwards, when Tala was back to his cold demeanour.

"It's amazing every time. I love it. I want to keep having sex with you till I'm too old to get it up." His thrusts were becoming slower and deeper, more deliberate.

Kai laughed again. "You are so romantic. Another guy would have shoved you off the bed right there."

Tala growled and bit at Kai's collarbone, tightening his embrace. "Another guy wouldn't be in a bed with me in the first place."

"Ah. Now that, that's perfectly sappy," Kai said, and kissed Tala's forehead.

Their breathing was coming in shorts gasps now. Kai could see the air he exhaled, since Tala was lowering the temperature around them pretty damn fast now. Kai loved how Tala lost control over his magic every time he played top. He loved how Tala's cock didn't feel cold at all, and his skin was just cool enough to be pleasant.

Tala gasped his name and sacrificed his embrace to wrap a hand around Kai's cock. Kai accommodated him by tightening his own embrace, to the point where there was no difference in temperature on skin-level where they touched.

They came in relative silence interrupted only by gasps and harsh breathing. Tala put some effort into cooling them, but it was half-hearted at best.

Kai sighed into Tala's hair happily. "Get off."

"No."

"Tala."

"You are warm."

"You are gross."

Tala nuzzled into his neck. "Deal with it." Wind from the open window blew across his back and he shivered a little.

Kai smiled. After sex, Tala always seemed to seek warmth, which was very unusual for him. Kai didn't complain, though. He grabbed the bedcover and rolled them over, smothering Tala a little.

"Oomphah," Tala said. The movement cause him to slide out, and Kai couldn't help but wince. "Idiot." Tala moved his hands to Kai's face.

Kai slid down Tala's body, coming to a stop when he could pillow his head on Tala's chest. Before he got there, he received a kiss on his forehead and nose, which made him snort. As they settled, Kai's hand went to pet Tala's side in slow strokes.

"Warm enough yet?" he asked.

"Yeah," came the quiet reply. Tala was already falling asleep.

Kai rolled off him, careful not to take the cover with him. Tala mumbled something incoherently and rolled onto his stomach. Then they slept.


End file.
